


the long road back

by dadcastellanos



Series: "bring him home." [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: M/M, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 20:06:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5715430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dadcastellanos/pseuds/dadcastellanos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a "what if hux & kylo ran away to the resistance & everyone had to deal" fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is not & will not become a reylo fic, jsyk!

The news travels fast, because it has to: Kylo Ren and what looks like his right hand are storming the command central, and word has it he’s out for the General. She had been sleeping, but when Finn comes and wakes her, Rey wastes absolutely no time in moving; she can’t. She simply can’t afford to hesitate. She starts to run, and the hilt of her saber hits her hand the second her foot hits the floor and she’s gone, weaving through the throngs of people rushing to the General’s aid. Before her, in the copse of trees that surrounds the command base, she can see people flying into the air, clearly pushed by the Force. She grits her teeth, and runs faster.

 

The General cannot be talked into leaving. She stands, waiting, listening to the screams and saber slashes outside the door, patient and cool. She seems to almost get bigger, her back straightened and her hands folded calmly before her, and the entire room waits on her cue. The sounds stop, and there are more screams, and then everything inside and outside the command room goes silent. The dull sound of boots thudding on the dirt comes closer and the double doors open so slowly, revealing Kylo Ren, silhouetted and terrible.

He steps into the room, the click of his boots reverberating off the walls, filling the dark room with his menace. Behind him, light spills in in direct contrast, showing that there’s only one person and a curious lack of bodies on the ground. The person, most of the people within command recognize, is General Hux, the supposed second in command of the First Order, directly below Supreme Leader Snoke. He seems stressed, looking rumpled to a point, his sharp uniform dusty and his hair just only slightly out of place. His eyes dart nervously about the room and he stays close to Ren.

The Knight himself looks worse for the wear without question. His tight black clothing looks burnt, seared, to people close enough to notice, and as he passes it’s clear he’s shaking slightly. His mask, usually so formidable, has a sharp crack across it, and his face, lit by the mask’s internal lights, is bright red but barely visible through it. His heavy breathing can be heard through the room. He walks, sporting a slight limp, his side clearly tight and wounded, until he’s almost in the center of the room, and it’s clear his sights are set on General Organa. She stares him down from her post, appearing no more stressed than before, though her lips tighten ever so slightly. Behind him, General Hux stands in parade rest, watching the knight closely.

“I have come,” he says, and the voice modulator is as horrible as ever, but clearly damaged, a slight distortion to the words. He almost sounds breathless. “I have come here for you.”

She nods at him once, and says nothing. The palpable energy of the room is thick, the entire room’s breath is bated. Those who know the feeling recognize it for what it is: the Force, hanging around them, clinging to both mother’s and son’s bodies and just waiting to be used. Leia Organa nods again and steps down, walking down from the raised platform until she’s standing before him.

His hands raise, and he slowly removes the mask. The face of Kylo Ren is almost shockingly young, and everyone seems to recoil from the odd gentleness of it. His eyes, intense and dark, are centered on the General, never once wavering from her. He doesn’t seem to notice their reactions. He doesn’t seem worried by the yelling behind him, the ever-louder presence of the forces coming to remove him. He looks tired, and worse yet, he looks beaten.

He reaches for his saber. Everyone in the room tenses.

 

“Move!” Rey screams as she runs, and before her Rebellion forces dive out of the way. The wicked yellow double-sided saber opens behind her as she runs, lighting her way as she runs and jumps towards the outer door. “Don’t be dead, don’t be dead, please don’t be dead,” she hisses to herself as she goes.

 

Kylo Ren pulls the weapon’s hilt off his belt with a loud jarring metal sound and holds it aloft, almost as if he’s offering it to her. They’d all heard the story: this was how Han Solo died, how he was goaded into believing Ren would give the saber to him once and for all, and everyone in the room immediately reaches for any weapon they have near them, or tenses instead, ready to run for help and safety the moment it’s run through the General. She hears this, they both do, and she holds up her hand, a silent order. _Wait._

So they wait, they watch.

Shaking, Ren turns his hand over, holds his arm out beside him, and lets go. The lightsaber slowly sinks to the ground, clearly cushioned with the Force, until it quietly hits the ground. Then, even slower, Ren sinks to one knee, never once looking away from the face of Leia Organa. She seems to relax somewhat, reaching out and placing her hand on his shoulder.

“I’ve come to surrender,” and everyone in the room hears his deep voice, even if it’s barely above a whisper. Behind him, General Hux slowly sinks to one knee as well, bowing his head slightly to Leia, though he too never takes his eyes off her. In the doorway, backup forces have stopped in shock at what they see. “We’ve come to surrender ourselves to the Resistance.”

 

“ _MOVE!_ ” Rey howls, and the soldiers do until they don’t anymore, because for some reason they’ve stopped in the doorway. They part as best they can, but she’s forced to push some of them out of the way, lightsaber flurrying about her. When she gets in the door, she sees Ren, and her first reaction is to fight; the double-sided saber becomes two in her hand, thanks to the clicking mechanism Luke had helped her design, and she’s in the air without thought. There’s a man she doesn’t recognize that dives out of the way, and General Organa backs away shouting something, and Ren turns to meet his doom head on, staring up into her furious eyes.

She collides with him, pressing him hard to the ground, sabers crossed over his neck to keep him down. He hisses but says nothing, swallowing and leaning as best he can from the blades. “Rey!” someone says, but she ignores it.

“You,” she hisses, and he actually looks scared.

“Rey, stop!” and this time she hears it like it’s the only voice in the world. Her head snaps up and Leia sighs, clearly not angry but not exactly happy, either. “Rey, please. Get off of him. He’s already surrendered.”

“He’s- what?”

“He’s already surrendered, Rey. Please, he’s wounded.”

Please? Wounded? She looks down at him and realizes he is; he looks devastatingly tired, with blood smeared over his lips and against the line of his hair. Her knees have him pinned and she realizes one of her knees is starting to feel damp from the blood lacing across her trousers. Awkwardly, she stands, her sabers disappearing into their hilts. A quick flick of both wrists and they’ve reconnected into one; she stands back and holds out a hand. It’s a long moment before he takes it, letting her help drag him off the floor. The rumpled diver from earlier is suddenly at his side and Ren pushes her away.

“He’s already surrendered,” Leia repeats slowly, getting Rey’s attention, “but you’ve done excellent work. That was exactly what you should have done, and I’m grateful that I have you to rely on.”

“Thank you,” Rey murmurs in response, watching Ren limp a step or two away, muttering to the man. “I’m… sorry, General, but I don’t think I understand. I thought-”

“He is still our enemy,” Leia interrupts, “and he is still a threat. But he has come here peacefully, he’s surrendered his weapon and he’s vocally insisted he means no harm. There’s no reason to hurt him until he gives us one. We have to stick to our rules or they mean nothing.”

“I don’t want to wait until it’s too late,” Rey replies, and the snap behind her words remembers a dark walkway and Han Solo’s last moments. Leia grimaces slightly, nodding.

“Don’t worry. I know him better than anyone else, even now. I’ll know before he does, and if I need you, I’ll call you.”

Rey doesn’t agree, but it’s best not to argue when Leia has that she’s already decided, it’s not an order yet but it will be, don’t push your luck tone of voice. Rey slightly bows her head and stands back, watching Ren allow himself to be cuffed. It seems so silly, knowing his ability with the Force, to waste one’s time cuffing him. She realizes suddenly it’s a show of faith as another cuffs Hux and they begin to be lead away.

“Wait,” Ren’s voice comes, and he almost sounds panicked. “Wait, wait. Let us be roomed together.”

“I’m afraid we can’t do that,” Leia responds when the equally panicked man holding Ren’s arm turns back, eyes pleading for an order. “It’s not wise to room two prisoners together, I’m sure you understand.”

“I’ve already-“ but he stifles this line of thought, and flashes a desperate look at Hux, who shakes his head almost imperceptibly, still silent. The two men are lead away, and Rey lets out a slow, shaky sigh.

What a week it’s going to be.


	2. Chapter 2

Finn’s sitting on his bottom bunk when she gets back to their room, looking concerned. He’s clearly stress-cleaned the entire room in her absence, and she wonders if it’s really been that long. It feels like everything took all of forty seconds, not over an hour. He wrings his hands and looks up at her, eyes wide. “Is it true?” he asks, and he’s really trying not to sound scared. Rey grimaces, walking over to the bunk and sitting beside him. “Is it really him? He didn’t get to the Gen-” and he notices the blood on her knee, standing and reaching for her in one swift motion. “You’re hurt-“

“That’s not my blood,” Rey replies, waving him off. “I’m fine, I’m fine. He was wounded, and yes, it’s true.” She sighs. “I tackled him in the doorway. I thought you were right behind me?”

“I was, and then you were doing all that ..Jedi stuff, and I couldn’t keep up.” He shrugs, awkwardly shifting and pacing in front of the bed. “And there were so many people in there, I couldn’t get anywhere close. No one really knows what’s going on.” It occurs to him suddenly: “–You.. tackled him in the doorway?”

“Yes..” She bites her bottom lip. “No, he didn’t hurt the General, and it really is him, and he’s… He was kneeling, when I tackled him.”

“You tackled a kneeling, bleeding Kylo Ren and he didn’t hurt you.”

“Yes.”

“Wait, kneeling?” Finn asks with a clear _what the hell was going on in there_ tone. “Back up, back up. What was he-“

Rey waves her hands, a little overwhelmed, and cuts him off. “He was kneeling because he’s surrendered. To the-“ She leans in conspiratorially, her voice a whisper. “To General Organa herself.”

“Surrendered?” asks Finn incredulously, and she feels a little better in being shocked now. At least it seems just as unbelievable to Finn, too. “He’s- Really?” There’s a tinge of panic to his tone. “Isn’t he Snoke’s right hand man?”

“I don’t really know what’s going on besides what Leia told me, and what I saw,” Rey replies, shrugging slightly. “But she’s very much convinced, and I don’t think he could hide any ill intent from her.”

“Yeah?” Finn regards her for a moment. She stares back, raising an eyebrow. Finally he licks his lips. “You’re learning the Force, right? You can … feel, things, too, right?”

“Yes, of course.” Rey frowns, confused.

“Well. What’d _you_ feel on him? Yknow?” Finn shrugs. This is so simple for him; to him, it’s a skill, something highly specialized, yes, and something one has to be born with, maybe, but a skill nonetheless. He’s always had faith in her abilities. He makes it sound so easy. She’s been training, she’s powerful as it is. There’s no reason she shouldn’t be able to tell, too, as far as he’s concerned. “If he can’t hide it from her, maybe he can’t hide it from you, either. Doesn’t Lu- mm-“

“Master Skywalker,” Rey interrupts, as always.

Without missing a beat, “Master Skywalker say you’ve got a lot of potential?”

Rey considers this for a moment. What had she felt on him? She feels a little embarrassed that she didn’t think of it first; this is exactly the sort’ve thing Master Skywalker would’ve asked her himself. She closes her eyes and breathes out slowly, clearing her thoughts and trying to remember.

Finn waits patiently for her. It’s pretty common that Rey disappears into whatever Force thoughts she’s having, into whatever calm place she needs to go to center herself. He toys with his fingers, glancing around the room, and taps his foot now and again as he waits.

It doesn’t take her more than a few moments to come to the answer, and she opens her eyes. “It felt like…” she starts uneasily, frowning off into some distance Finn can’t see. “He feels like…” Rey looks back at Finn, her face set into a hard mask. “Resignation,” she says. “He feels like he’s resigned to it.”

“..Resignation? That’s… weird,” Finn replies, frowning at her. That was nowhere near what he’d expected. When he’d left the Order, he’d been scared, nervous, thrilled, shocked it’d been so easy. It wasn’t an option, to him. It was something that had to happen. He hadn’t felt _resigned_ to it. “That’s weird, right?”

Rey nods at him. “Yes, it is. It’s almost like he doesn’t want to be here. What’s the point of surrendering if you don’t want to?”

“Maybe Snoke’s making him,” Finn replies quietly, dread in his voice. “Maybe he’s supposed to get close and go all ..Jedi-killer on us.”

“The General trusts him,” Rey all but whispers in reply. “If she trusts him..”

“We should too. Yeah.” He nods, looking away. Ren was the terrifying unknown of the Order, the creature that would destroy entire rooms by himself without difficulty. There were rumors the troopers had about him that weren’t to be repeated anywhere near where he could hear, stories of Jedi younglings cut down in the middle of the night, of staring Luke Skywalker down and surviving, of being able to kill stronger, larger, older Force users with half the training. He’d himself seen the man hold a blaster shot in midair, almost forgotten. It wouldn’t shock him if Ren could kill everyone on the base without even half a thought, and now here he was, nearby, with a plea for help.

It was suspect at best.

Rey feels just as uncertain and worried as he is, and he holds out a hand, fingers outstretched. She curls her pinky around his, the familiar gesture only taking some of the stress away. “I’m going to try,” she says, looking at Finn, who glances back at her. “I’m going to trust in General Organa.”

“You know how this goes, girl,” he says lightly, even if he doesn’t feel very light. “I go almost anywhere you go.”

“Almost!” she gasps, amused, mock shock and betrayal on her face.

“Cliffs, Jedi and Stormtroopers don’t mix,” Finn replies sagely, nodding.

“Oh, well. I’ll be sure to tell the next Stormtrooper I see, then,” returns Rey, just as lightly as he had been. Finn gives her a wide, genuine smile, the brightest thing in the room.

 

 

General Leia Organa is summoned to Kylo Ren’s prison cell within the hour of his being placed there by a very harried looking medic. “He’s not allowing medical care,” the medic huffs as she stalks down the hallway at Leia’s side. “It’s clear he’s bleeding heavily and is in pain, but he won’t allow us anywhere near him.”

Of course he is. Of course he won’t. The damages Snoke’s done to him are even heavier than she’d realized. She turns into the room to find three equally scared looking medics standing on one side and Ren on the other. Standing at his full height, with wild eyes staring down his attackers and his wild hair, he looks downright terrifying. The Force stands between them in a palpable wall; she wonders if they can feel it too, and supposes they must. His fury and fear is strong enough that it’s almost visible in the air, crackling around him. Almost.

Leia steps forward in front of them, blanketing everything around her in equal amounts of calm, and the four medics almost huddle behind her, watching. “You need to let us heal your wounds,” she says quietly, not raising her voice, not inflecting any emotion at all. “You could die from that,” and she nods at his side.

“No medics,” he hisses under his breath, and he sounds so weak. His face is paler than it should be. “I don’t-“

“Doesn’t it seem foolish, to surrender yourself, under what I’m assuming is the will to survive, and end up dying from easily treatable wounds?” Leia interrupts, her voice only the slightest bit louder. “You came here to live, did you not.”

He blinks in response. “I-“ and she can hear him, hear his desperate _I didn’t want to come here._ The underlying _I don’t want to live_ that doesn’t even need to be said, thought, felt _._ It hurts her more than she’d like to admit, but at least it gives her the key.

“What would your General say?” she interrupts him again. “What would he say? What would he expect from you, in this moment? Because I’m pretty sure if we brought him in here he’d give you the same speech,” Leia delivers the final blow with the same unaffected even tone. Ren physically winces in response, and she feels a curious mixture of victory and guilt. He’s practically bleeding fear into the air; she wonders what he has to be afraid of. “We’re not going to hurt you,” she adds. “You can make this easiest for everyone and allow them to sedate you, if you wish. All we ask is you allow us to heal your wounds.”

He stares at her, panting, for a long moment. She can almost hear his mind working, but her final hit made it clear he was giving away too much and he’s pulled his thoughts back in, tight, around himself. The pressure in the room seems to dissipate a little, and he shifts, pressed up against the permacrete.

“Fine,” he finally croaks, “but no sedation. I don’t-” _I want to know what you’re doing to me._ It takes a low breath and pursed lips to keep Leia from wincing. “I don’t need it.”

The prospect of being touched, of his wounds being revealed and made real, is terrifying to him. Watching the medics peel off his armor with careful, shaking hands makes that abundantly clear. Ren stares at the floor without once looking up, obeying every command the medics quietly murmur to him. All the rage in him has become shame, embarrassment, and though it dampens the room it lacks the same sharp taste of danger. He feels defeated.

At their insistence, he lifts his arms with difficulty, letting them remove the top pieces without much fuss. His chest is a mess; there’s what appears to be a blaster hit in his shoulder, something older than when he’d come to the base, and still bleeding sluggishly. There’s enough blood streaked across his body that it had originally seemed a side wound, and she’s still not sure it’s the only wound.

Leia and the medics all share the same grim silence. His shame and embarrassment are louder than ever, and she wonders what he possibly has to be ashamed about. Anyone in his situation would not be able to storm anything, certainly not a Resistance base; they wouldn’t be able to fight, let alone move as much as he has. That is an impressive handle on pain, and an equally impressive ability to weather such violence and keep acting as if he were fine.

Years of abuse, she realizes. Years of torment. The prevailing idea that he needs to or be seen as something lesser.

It chokes her. She quietly backs out of the room, taking a moment to breathe in the hall before she sets off. It’s time to get some answers.

 

 

General Hux is sitting in an interrogation room in perfect silence, his cuffed hands folded neatly on the table in front of him. He’s still rumpled, of course, though he has apparently pushed his hair back into place, as much as it could be. When General Organa enters, he raises his head high, as if she’s just walking into his office to give him a report. He has a cool calmness to him, his mind curiously silent in that practiced manner of someone used to dealing with Force users. He feels like a man convinced that his actions are right, always.

Leia sits in front of him, looking him over with one raised eyebrow. He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t back away in his gaze, instead staring back at her, straight on.

“General Hux,” she says, inclining her head slightly.

“General Organa,” he replies, voice smooth and clipped all at once, not a syllable too long.

“I have it on good authority this was your idea,” and she leans forward, folding her hands on the table as well, cocking her head. “Is this true?”

“It is,” he replies, and there isn’t an iota of regret in any of him. He almost seems at ease here, staring the enemy’s General down and in cuffs.

“Can I ask your reason?”

He’s silent for a few seconds, and she can almost feel him trying to think of the best way to phrase it. “I…” Hux begins, raising an eyebrow, toying very slightly with one of his fingers. “Recently became aware of the truth of what Kylo Ren was being subjected to at the hands of Supreme Leader Snoke.”

“You expect us to believe you left your post as the head of the First Order because his apprentice was treated poorly?” Leia asks, genuinely surprised at the response.

Hux snorts. “I don’t expect you to believe anything. You’ll believe what you want regardless of what I say. I have no doubt there will be a thousand reasons for my defection in this camp’s rumor mill by sundown.” He leans back. “That is my reason. Would it surprise you less to know we’ve been sleeping together for several years?”

She ignores the odd sting that produces, never once showing her reaction. She’s careful to sound almost uninterested, her face neutral. “I guess I just have a hard time believing you’d want to abandon your post when by all accounts it’s all you’ve ever wanted, especially for someone we’ve been made to understand makes your life actively harder. Wouldn’t it just be easier to abandon him to his fate?”

“Yes, it would,” Hux replies easily, another sting to ignore. “But that’s not going to help me in the long run. That isn’t the answer to the greater problem. I believe, with the right application of force, Supreme Leader Snoke can be destroyed, and Ren can be instrumental in this.”

“Is that so?” Leia raises an eyebrow. “But that doesn’t answer my question. If you think you know how to destroy Snoke, why wouldn’t you stay?”

“Under no circumstance would I be here if I thought it was possible that we could destroy Snoke ourselves, where we were, at this point in time,” and there is such a conviction to his words that Leia is almost awed by. He truly believes in everything he does. “I have investigated every possibility, I have played through every scenario, I have imagined every outcome. There is no way, ever, that we would be able to get to the point that Ren would strike him down in his current state. Even if he didn’t see us coming, even with the most careful planning, even with Ren standing above him triumphant, he would sooner strike me down than Snoke. His control over Kylo Ren is almost absolute. If we are to overthrow Snoke- if he’s to be stopped –we need your help.”

“I see,” Leia returns, sitting back, somewhat lost for words. He’s a natural leader; his charisma is obvious, and he speaks in such a way that she could see how easy it would be to follow his orders. “What do you propose?”

“Ren must be put right before he will ever be able to stop Snoke.”

“And you believe surrendering to us is the way to do it?”

"Yes. I know this is the way,” Hux murmurs, and there’s a guarded softness to his words. Leia can feel his carefully quiet mind shift, and she wonders if it’s calculated. There’s a genuine feeling behind all the smoke and mirrors, something she can’t quite put her finger on. Perhaps he’s trying to show her, trying to make her understand why he’s here. At the very least, she can say he’s telling the truth. “The things he has been forced to endure under the guise of training are absolutely the same methods one would use to break a torture victim. He must be allowed to heal, and to make his own decisions, and the only way to allow that is freeing him from Snoke’s hold.”

"You could have gone anywhere in the galaxy,” Leia counters, leaning forward again. “Anywhere but here. Disappeared into the furthest reaches, never been heard from again. Why did you come to us?”

"Well.” Hux leans back, and there’s the littlest ghost of a smirk at the corners of his lips. “Practically speaking, he needs to be surrounded by Force users that aren’t going to tear his mind apart. He’s spoken about the scavenger more than once; I believe whatever power he needs to believe in may reside with her. Emotionally speaking, this is the best route for him; with you, the Resistance fighters he knows and Skywalker nearby, it will be much harder for him to continue ignoring the considerable damage that has been done to him. If he cannot hide from you, he cannot hide from what needs dealt with.”

“I see,” Leia says, pursing her lips.

“Tactically speaking,” Hux continues, voice silkier than ever, “in order for _any_ of this to work, I need you alive.” His voice lowers ever so slightly. “And if _we_ know where you are, so does _he_.”


	3. Chapter 3

The second her foot lands outside the interrogation room, the order goes out. One guard is left to stay outside Hux’s room, ready to pull the General out at her word; the other guard runs ahead of her to spread the command throughout the base.

She stops by Ren’s cell on her way to the command center, leaning in to find the medics starting to redress him. He looks pale and a little woozy, but she can tell his wounds have been bandaged and cared for, and that’s good enough for now. Leia purposely shoves any maternal feelings rearing their ugly heads into the back of her mind. Now’s not the time for this. Maybe, if she’s lucky, she’ll have the time and space to deal with it later.

Kind of doubtful, but she’s an optimist, sometimes.

“He’s with me,” Leia says, nodding at Ren, who doesn’t look at her. “One of you, too, just in case. We’re evacuating,” she adds, even if she knows they’re already aware.

The medics and then the guards outside the door are in a flurry at her orders. One guard stays with her and Ren, holding his arm as if it would keep him from escaping, and the other disappears down the hall. Everyone in the building and throughout the base has their own instructions in case of emergencies like this, and she wants to disrupt them as little as possible.

“You can go,” she says to the medic who chose to stay with them, “pack your things. I’m heading for Rey, and you can catch up with us there, at the Falcon.” Ren stiffens slightly but is ignored.

“Yes ma’am,” the medic replies, jogging down the hall.

“And you,” Leia turns to the other guard, who shakes his head, following her with a tight grip on Ren and equally tight pursed lips.

“Where are we going?” Ren slurs as he’s dragged along, clearly fighting to pull himself back to fully functional.

“To find cover,” Leia replies. “Jeremy, I know you want to protect me, but he surrendered and he’s hardly in any condition to fight. Go, finish what you need to.”

“Ma’am,” the guard begins, but she holds up a hand.

“I’m taking him to Rey. If two Force sensitives can’t stop him, what makes you think you’ll have a chance?” It’s a little cruel, but it’s true, and the guard knows it. He nods at Leia with a stony face, bitterly dropping Ren’s arm and hustling off to work. She sighs as he walks away, turning to Ren, who still manages not to look at her. He’s lightly swaying in place, fidgeting with the cuffs around his wrists. The last thing Leia wants is to have to touch him, but she’s given herself no other choice. Gently reaching forward, Leia takes the plastisteel bonds between the cuffs, leading him towards the command center. “Come on,” she says, as if it would put her at ease, as if he wasn’t forced to follow her.

Ren says nothing, and his silence is a knife she files away with the maternal feelings. This wound will heal later. She needs to move now.

Evacuation is something everyone in the base is always prepared for, and her Resistance has it down to an art. By the time she’s in the command center, they’ve already hailed other bases to make them aware of the situation, chosen a planet, scrambled the fighters, started packing. Everything is moving, and Leia takes care not to get in the way, pausing only one or two people as they hustle past to murmur orders in their ears. There’s so much to do, but they’re all fully capable of handling it without her. They were trained to, after all, and she has no interest in changing that now.

As she wades through it all, Ren silently shuffles behind her, getting more than a few glances out of everyone they pass. The room is tenser once he’s added to it, but Leia pays it no mind. She knows her fighters, knows they’ll do what needs to be done regardless of his presence. Pulling him up to her desk, she packs a few things in a small bag- holorecords, datapads, little trinkets she’s kept for luck or whatever else –before pulling him away again and towards the door.

There’s nothing more Leia can do in this room. She slips out of the command center and out to the main base itself, pulling Ren along the entire time. She’s careful not to go too fast, but he seems to be able to keep up just fine. It’s a nice day outside, all things considered, and she’s disappointed she doesn’t have more time to appreciate the shining sun, the lazy breeze, the clear sky. This may be the last time she ever sees this planet, and it has to be in a rush. Such a shame. It’s always such a shame.

When she leans into the room that Finn and Rey share, she finds Finn finishing packing their bunk set. She stands in the doorway watching, reaching out with the Force to try to find Rey.

“General,” Finn gasps, turning and almost dropping the bars he’s holding. It snaps her back to the present. “And oh, wow, uhhh.” Ren bristles behind her but stays silent. She can feel the razor sharp glare he’s leveled at Finn. “I, uh. I didn’t even hear you guys, I’m sorry-“

“Hello, Finn,” Leia replies, smiling. “Don’t worry. We just got here.”

“You need any help?” he asks, warily eyeing Ren. “What can I do?”

"No, thank you, I’m all right.” He’s been here long enough to know she’s telling the truth. He nods and immediately returns to his packing. “I was only looking for Rey. Is she preparing the Falcon?”

“Yeah, yeah. She went looking for Chewie,” Finn replies as he moves. He sifts through everything effortlessly, almost as if he doesn’t need to see it to throw it in the right container, slip it on his back or into the box he’s set aside to carry. There isn’t enough in this room to warrant needing much time or practice, but it’s still impressive. She wonders how much of that is practice from being in the Resistance and how much is muscle memory from the Order. She can feel his nervousness and disdain for Ren and wishes this were easier. For any of them. For all of them.

“Good,” Leia finally replies, looking up at Ren. He pointedly avoids her gaze. “Have room for a few more?”

“What, for you?” Finn turns, catches Ren’s gaze. His face gets just a little redder and he looks away again. “You and, uh..”

“Yes. Me, Lord Ren,” who bristles at this too, “General Hux, a guard and a medic.” She smiles apologetically. “I figure the safest place to put them is with Rey. If between the two of us we can’t keep them in line, we have a bigger problem on our hands than the evacuation.”

Finn nods. “No, yeah, I agree,” though it’s clear from the look on his face he doesn’t like it all the same. “Okay. Yeah. We’ve got room. Let me just, uh,” and he leans down, pulling up the box he was working on packing, throwing a quick glance around the empty room. “Cmon,” Finn chirps, and Leia pushes Ren out of the doorway to let Finn through.

Finn leads them to the Falcon, though Leia already knows where it is. Outside, Chewie is preparing something and doesn’t notice them, pulling down wires as he searches for what must be missing a piece or frayed beyond repair. There’s more bristling from Ren, pain that he has to force himself to swallow up before she can notice, before she can feel his true thoughts. It’s clear he’s not used to being surrounded by Force sensitives again, though Leia doesn’t need the Force to read straight through him. These people, this ship- they were his home, once. She’s sure deep down he can’t stop feeling that pain, either.

(She hopes, anyways. She hopes beyond hope he’s not _that_ far gone.)

Finn pauses, calls out to and hustles towards the Wookie, and Leia takes the moment to push Ren up the ramp and into the Falcon without being seen.

“She’s around here somewhere,” Leia mutters, not quite sure if she’s talking to him or herself. “Hold on.” She releases her hold on his cuffs, leaning around one of the corners. “Rey?”

There’s movement within the Falcon, a faint crashing. Leia ignores the morose feelings pouring off of Ren and steps forward, trying to feel Rey instead. She can feel the scavenger shifting through one of the cargo holds, slamming the door down, running to meet her.

“General,” Rey calls out, coming around the corner and stopping dead at the sight of Ren. He pointedly avoids looking at Rey, too. “I- Is he coming with us?” Rey asks, dumbstruck.

“Yes, he is. What better place to keep him than with the Force sensitives?” asked Leia, gesturing at them both. “Is that all right?”

Rey looks Ren up and down once, twice, and stiffly nods at Leia. “That’s fine,” she replies, her tone clipped, and stalks across the main hold towards the cockpit. “Excuse me, I need to get this off the ground.”

“He’ll be staying in here, with me.” Leia points at the booth, and Ren wordlessly walks to it, sitting down. Still, no eye contact whatsoever. Still, he refuses to look up. She grimaces, glancing away from him and following Rey into the cockpit. “The good General will be joining us, as well.”

"That’s fine,” Rey repeats, her tone still unamused. “Are Finn and Chewie coming?”

“Yes, they’re both outside. Rey, I’m sorry this is such a difficult situation. When we land at the new base, you won’t have to see him again if you don’t want to.”

“It’s fine,” Rey lies. The pit of fury in her stomach flares slightly, but she keeps it in check. Leia would be impressed if she didn’t know the girl that well. Rey always seems so in control of her emotions. Even in this moment, being forced to have one of her most bitterly hated enemies on the ship of the man he’d killed, Rey concentrates only on what must be done. It’s admirable, to a point. Leia worries if maybe it isn’t the most healthy. “I.. was surprised to see him, that’s all.”

“And I’m sorry for that. If there were more time-“

“No, no. I understand.” Rey glances up at Leia, pointing at a switch. “Will you flip that, please?”

Behind them, an inhuman shouting breaks through their conversation, a string of curses and threats in Shryllwook. Leia turns on her heel immediately and runs out to find Chewie holding Ren by the throat at arm’s length, the Wookie shouting as loudly as he can manage. In his arm, Ren looks so small and terrified, staring straight into Chewie’s eyes as he faces what he must think is his inevitable demise. Finn’s behind him, yelling “Chewie! Don’t!” and trying to reach for Ren, who looks like he can breathe less and less with each second. Rey runs out seconds later, gasping.

“Chewie!”

“Chewie,” Leia says, her voice loud but not a shout. “Put him _down_.”

Chewie stares at her, growling in response; she hears the rage, fear and pain in his voice and nods. He’s not upset with her, she knows, and she doesn’t take offense.

“I know. I know, but you need to release him. He’s a prisoner, Chewie. He isn’t going to hurt anyone else.”

Chewie clearly doesn’t believe her, but drops Ren unceremoniously all the same. Ren falls onto the bench with a loud cry of pain, crawling away from Chewie on the seat, curling up and shifting back into a seated position. He’s disheveled, panting and terrified, clearly trying to cling to what little dignity he might still have. Chewie steps towards Leia, loudly letting her know exactly how he feels about this situation right as the guard brings Hux up the ramp and around the corner. Rey steps forward, reaching for Chewie’s hand.

“Come help me fly this,” she says softly, staring up into Chewie’s eyes. Chewie shuffles, snuffling and making a short noise of pain, something too garbled to be a proper word. “I know. I know, and I’m sorry. There was no time to warn you. It happened to me, too.”

With one glance back at Ren, who flinches when Chewie looks at him, Chewie allows Rey to guide him into the cockpit and away from the group.

"Well.” Hux’s dry voice breaks through the momentary awkward silence. “Never boring here, is it.”

Leia gestures at the bench where Ren is and the guard shoves Hux at it. Hux sneers at his guard, sliding onto the bench beside Ren with more grace than he should be able to muster, and leans in to mutter at Ren, who nods. Leia turns to the guard, shaking her head. “The sooner we can get everyone settled in the new base, the better. Go make sure there’s nothing else we need to put on board.”

The guard nods and turns away to obey. Finn grimaces at Leia.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. I should’ve warned him..”

“No, no. Don’t blame yourself. That was my fault.” Leia shakes her head, sighing. “You know, this is not how I thought this day was going to go.”

"You’re telling me,” Finn chimes in, shaking his head. He shoots Ren and Hux a dark look, clearly still uncomfortable by their presence. They don’t seem to notice.

Between the guard, Finn and eventually Rey, the Falcon is loaded in a few short minutes. The rest of the ships have already disappeared, including the medships filled with wounded. Rey scans the deserted base, seeing little to no signs of Resistance impact, and swings back inside, looking over her motley band of crew and passengers.

“Is there anything else at all we need to consider before we take off?” she asks. Time is of the essence, she knows, but rushing this doesn’t help anyone. “This is your last chance.”

Everyone’s silent for a moment before Hux raises one of his cuffed hands. Rey stares at him, almost shocked at his audacity, and nods once.

“Ren’s belt,” he says, and points at it, where it was clearly haphazardly attached to his waist by the medics. “It’s got a tracking device in it. We cannot afford to bring that with us.”

Ren slowly turns his head, glowering at Hux; it’s clear he’s just as new to this information as everyone else. Rey purses her lips, nodding.

“Right. Take it off him.”

With some difficulty, Hux manages to wrangle the piece off of Ren. It’s more difficult than it should be with his hands cuffed, but he manages, throwing the belt at Rey. The belt lopsidedly falls at her feet, and she snatches it up.

“Do you have one too?” she asks, nodding at Hux.

“Not… that I know of, no.” He shifts slightly, his cool demeanor only slightly ruffled at the assumption. Maybe he hadn’t thought about it. Maybe he had, and she’s just struck upon a personal fear of his. She doesn’t care which is the right answer; she searches what little of his thoughts she can reach, considering the daunting walls he’s managed to hide his mind behind, and finds he’s telling the truth. Still...

“If you did, where would they be?” Rey asks, stepping forward.

“I… My belt, perhaps my boots or buttons.” He blanches as she steps closer. “You aren’t serious.”

“I absolutely am. You’ve already put us in enough danger.”

“Rey,” Leia says quietly, more a warning not to fight than an order to stop.

Hux glowers up at Rey before standing slowly. He lifts his hands, letting her take his belt and boots without a fight. His cheeks regain color when she stares at his coat for a moment, considering. “Let me keep _some_ dignity,” he sneers, but she ignores him, reaching out for the buttons.

“I don’t think those buttons are capable of hiding a tracker within,” Rey finally says, leaning away. Hux seems to huff with relief, and takes his place back on the bench.

Rey stalks towards the ramp, inspecting Ren’s belt. There’s no obvious sign of a tracker in it, which she supposes is the point, and nothing comes away under her fingers. There’s no way to tell what’s just part of the belt, and therefore no way to tell what the tracker would look like on any other clothing. The other belt and both boots yield the same results: there are buttons, straps, things that look naturally part of the clothing design, and she can’t easily pry anything off. It all seems normal.

She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. She doesn’t want to do this, but there’s no choice. It’s better to leave each planet with no waste, no proof they were ever here, but she can’t bring this with her to their new safe house. Pursing her lips again, Rey tosses both belts and Hux’s boots off the ramp, punching the raise button. All of this feels so wrong, and this act most of all.

Stalking back to the cockpit, she prepares for takeoff.

 

 

 

It is by the sheer grace of the Force that nothing makes their trip harder than it has to be. Leia sits in the main room with the guard, the medic, Ren and Hux; Rey, Chewie and Finn stay in the cockpit, quietly joking and chatting amongst themselves. After the initial liftoff, Ren and Hux return to muttering to each other, while the guard paces and watches, clearly unhappy to let them sit together so freely. Leia sighs, checking their progress on the screens behind her every once in a while. The energy is low, the mood doubly so, and she can’t see a way to lift it anytime soon. What a day, what a day.

When they arrive hours later at their new destination, most of the heavy lifting of the evacuation is already done, all the other ships having landed and disembarked. The planet scouted by the pilots was perfect, if a little cold. The base is nestled into mountains, cold grey rocks surrounding them, and what isn’t sheer rock is covered in forests so thick that anyone without the home advantage could easily get lost. Snow lines the ground, and the one sun is hidden by thick clouds, threatening rain or something colder. Below them hundreds of people bustle around, busily setting up their new home.

Leia surveys the terrain through the cockpit window once Rey’s informed the main room of their imminent landing, and nods. “It’s not cozy, but it’ll do,” she mutters. Rey flashes her a small, tense smile and Leia turns away, walking back out to the others. “We’re landing,” she says, taking a seat as the ship begins to tilt. Rey’s piloting is near perfect, but it’s a tricky landing, and Leia doesn’t plan on being thrown to the ground in front of one of her worst enemies. “We’re the last to arrive, but everything’s still very busy. I’m going to leave Rey here to watch you two; the rest of us, prepare to disembark.”

The guard doesn’t look happy about this, but at the very least he recognizes she’s not personally staying on the Falcon, and keeps his mouth shut. The medic nods, pulling her bag closer to her, ready to jump off and rejoin her crew.

“It’s cold out there,” Leia continues. “Clearly the cold months for this planet, but we’re up high, too. We’ll find you some new boots,” she nods at Hux, who purses his lips. “You two will have to wait here until most of the others have settled and we’ve found the best place to put you.”

“I assume we’re still to be separated,” Hux says, clearly not worried about this. Leia nods. He almost sounds bored. The ship jumps slightly and comes to settle down, and the engines begin to run their cooldown cycle, thrumming through the ship. Hux glances around, as if somehow he’ll see what’s making that damn racket, then continues. “Very well. I also assume I’m to debrief you at some point.”

“Yes; once we’re better settled, you’ll be spending some time with some of our interrogators.” Ren’s eyes flash up at Leia. She meets them without hesitating. His expression is guarded, but it’s clear he’s concerned for Hux’s well-being and the nature of anyone with the label _interrogator_. She raises an eyebrow. “We’re not the First Order,” Leia says aloud, and Ren looks away, shame prickling at the edge of his neutral energy. “Interrogation here is nothing _permanent._ ”

Rey steps out of the cockpit, glancing around at everyone. “We’ve landed,” she says, though it’s clear enough in that the ship isn’t moving. Behind her, Chewie and Finn lean around the corner. “You’re safe to leave.”

Chewie pushes past her gently, trilling something softly at her, and leads the way to the ramp, walking down it almost before it’s finished lowering. Finn lingers for a moment, reaching out to squeeze Rey’s hand lightly, and hustles out to begin locating their room and helping the others. Leia, Rey, Ren and Hux share an awkward silence for only a few seconds before part of the unloading crew begins to move in and out of the Falcon, pulling off resources and boxes.

Leia turns to Rey. “I need you to stay with them until their cells are ready,” she murmurs, and Rey nods.

“I’d figured,” she replies, some disappointment trickling into her tone despite her efforts to keep it as neutral as she can manage. It’s clear she’s not actually interested in staying anywhere near the First Order defectors, and Leia honestly can’t blame her. “I know Finn can handle everything until then.”

“Thank you so much for this, Rey,” Leia says, sighing. She reaches for Rey’s arm, and Rey lets her squeeze it slightly. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me today. I’ll make sure you don’t have to be involved with this again if I’m able.” Rey nods, her calm energy filled with enough understanding that Leia knows there’s nothing more to say. “I’ll be in the Command Center,” Leia finishes, sending one last glance at the knight and his General. “Comm me if you need anything, anything at all.”

“Yes, General,” Rey chirps, and Leia leaves.

Rey manages to sit in the chair across from Ren and Hux for all of fifteen minutes before she starts to get bored. Around them, the unloading crew pulls out boxes and crates, working as fast as they can to relieve the Falcon of all extra cargo. Rey fiddles with her dualsaber, clicking the mechanism apart to two sabers and back together again multiple times before she finally clips it back to her belt and stands to tidy the room. Hux watches her curiously, an eyebrow raised, while Ren stares like a petulant child at the table.

“I know you’re probably not aware of this but it’s considered rude to stare,” Rey finally says, toying with one of the compartment doors over the screens. It’d been coming loose for a while, and now was a good a time as any to fix it.

“You’ll have to forgive me. It’s just, I’ve heard _so_ much about you,” and Ren stiffens beside Hux, glancing away from the table. Hux smirks. “A little like meeting a legend, if that word could ever apply.”

“I’m flattered,” Rey replies in exactly the tone of a person who isn’t, actually, at all.

“I’m sure,” Hux replies in the smooth tone of someone who absolutely knows that. The tense, frustrated silence that follows seems to please Hux, who turns to Ren instead. It’s clear Rey is busy, and now lost in her annoyed thoughts, so he grabs the opportunity. “This is going to work,” he mutters, and Ren turns his head. “You do trust me, don’t you?”

Ren looks at Hux, staring with those dark, focused eyes, and nods. “Of course,” Ren murmurs back. “But I wonder if maybe we acted prematurely.”

“He didn’t give us a choice,” and Hux looks up at the two new guards who approach their little booth, raising an eyebrow. “Gentlemen,” he says to them, and one scowls in response.

“Your cells are ready,” the scowler says.

Hux smiles. “Excellent,” he replies with a tight, bitter voice. Boots are dropped in front of Hux, but he’s given no time to pull them on. One guard reaches for him but he pulls away, glowering up into the man’s face until, uncomfortable, the guard steps back. Standing, Hux turns to Ren. “Remember that,” he says, “in the next few days.” He awkwardly slips into the boots as best he can and turns away.

Ren lets himself be pulled roughly to his feet by the other guard as Hux is lead away, acutely aware of Rey’s eyes on him. He doesn’t look up at her, doesn’t pull away from the guard, doesn’t seem to have any energy inside of him at all as he’s pushed forward towards the ramp. Neither Hux nor Ren spare the other a parting glance as they’re lead away from each other, Hux with his straight back and cool collected face, and Ren who seems content to lean far enough over to hide his face with his hair.

Rey worries her lips in the silence she’s left with on the Falcon. More and more this all feels wrong.

 

 

 

Every night, as instructed, Rey meditates.

The last planet had been the base for the Resistance long enough that Rey could feel the energy of each and every person without getting lost. Now that they’re somewhere new, she keeps having to return to the sound of Finn below her, sleeping soundly on the bottom bunk, so she doesn’t get lost. The energies of the fighters, the command staff, the base and the planet itself are all muddled into something unfamiliar, and everyone’s in a new order. Trying to sift through it gives her a headache, so, after a good few minutes of trying to make some sense out of it all, Rey abandons the task and lets her mind float instead. She drifts over thoughts and dreams, energies she doesn’t bother trying to recognize, and hums into the calmness of it. Everyone is shaken, yes, but it’s safe here. They’re safe.

On the edges of her perception, she feels _him:_ staggeringly powerful, if he could just focus for a few moments. His thoughts are scattered but his energy is loud, despite the fact he’s clearly exhausted, clearly drained. She can feel Kylo Ren’s despair, his hopelessness, his fears. She can feel him, and despite her own fears and reservations she can’t help but reach out and touch that energy, wondering if he can feel her, too.

He can. That energy shifts, as if he’s turning to look at her, and she pulls back, startled. The energy regards hers for a moment, like an animal cocking it’s head, and she stares back, trying not to feel so scared. She can feel a curious interest, feel his confusion, his loneliness, and then his despair swallows it all and his energy turns away again, desolate.

It occurs to her only then, as the larger, darker energy turns to regard hers, that something is choking him. Something sinister is wrapped around him, feeding off his emotions, draining his energy. It reaches for her and she feels that pull she felt on Starkiller, that unmistakable voice that had ordered her to end Ren now sweetly calling her name, cooing like mother to child. It grows, gets bigger, seeming to swallow Ren’s energy whole, and it reaches for Rey, and there’s this suffocating miasma around it that whispers _I can make you stronger, come with me_ -

She cries out when she breaks the meditation, pulling away from something that isn’t there. Her body is shaking, clammy and cold, and Rey has to pull the covers of her bed tight around her to stop shivering. It takes her another two hours to shake the cold feeling left in her bones, and another two to finally feel safe enough to fall asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

“I’m sorry it’s been a while since I last called, Master Skywalker, but I thought I should update you on some of the things that have happened,” Rey blurts the second Luke’s hologram form appears before her. He blinks a few times, trying to fully understand everything she’d said. She doesn’t give him a second to reply. “There’s been some new developments, and I really think we need your help here.”

“Uh. Hi to you too,” he says, and she smiles, embarrassed. “Wait, wait. Slow down, Rey. I-”

“Kylo Ren has surrendered to the Resistance,” Rey interrupts because she can’t bear to keep it to herself any longer, breathless at having to share the news with her master and entirely unable to slow down. Luke’s calm face changes; he leans back slightly, frowning, his usually openly emotional face shutting down. Whatever he was going to reply with dies in his throat and he closes his mouth, lips pursed. “He brought some General of the First Order with him and they’re staying here, in the holding cells.”

“He surrendered?” Luke asks, unsure; his voice is guarded and almost too quiet to hear.

“Yes, yesterday. I would have commed you sooner but we had to evacuate not even an hour afterwards. We’re on a new planet now.”

“I see. You said he brought someone with him?”

“Yes, someone very high up in the First Order. A General,” and she cocks her head slightly, unsure what that has to do with anything. Perhaps it was as odd to Master Skywalker as it was to her that Kylo Ren would care about anyone enough to bring them along- but then again, Master Skywalker couldn’t feel the cacophony of emotion off of Kylo here like she could.

“Hm.”

“I felt uncertainty on him, almost like he doesn’t want to be here. I’m starting to think he doesn’t, that he’d run if that General wasn’t with him.”

"Is that so.” Luke doesn’t seem to believe it. “I’m not surprised he doesn’t want to be there.”

“There’s something else. When I was meditating last night, I sensed him.”

“That’s not surprising, he’s a very capable Force user. He’s not bothering you, is he?”

“No, no, it’s not that. It’s just.. there was something…” Rey had rehearsed this conversation a thousand times this morning, trying to find the best way to describe what she’d seen. She still comes up short. Nothing seems to quite touch the sensation she’d felt, the energy she’d witnessed. “..surrounding him. I felt his energy, I could pick him out of the crowd, but there was something around it, choking it. Like a blanket, or …”

“Snoke,” Luke replies immediately.

“Yes, just like smoke!” Rey says, excitedly. She didn’t think she’d explained it that well.

“No, no. _Snoke._ He’s- a person, kind of. He’s the one currently training –“ but he’s unable to say a name, neither Kylo nor the name Luke used to know, and he shakes his head. “The Knights of Ren that, uhhh. That he belongs to? Snoke’s the leader. Snoke’s the reason he left. Snoke’s the one who’s been in his head for years, making him think that’s where he belongs.” Luke grimaces. “You saw this? Last night?”

“Yes. I didn’t notice it at first, because I was only focusing on his energy, but it was very obviously there.” She grimaces. “I think it’s interrupting his focus, but I don’t think it knows where he is.”

“If you’re lucky,” Luke replies bitterly, “Snoke can’t find him. But Snoke’s powerful, or at least he used to be, so I wouldn’t be shocked if he could.” 

“It spoke to me.”

Again, Luke’s face changes. There’s an obvious fear behind his eyes, and he doesn’t seem interested in stifling it. “…What did he say?”

“That he could make me stronger. I’ve heard the voice before. It was there when I fought Kylo Ren on Starkiller base..”

“The one that told you to kill him,” Luke finishes, voice grim.

“Exactly.”

“Do you believe him?”

"I believe he could probably make me stronger, yes,” Rey replies honestly, and Luke shifts, disturbed. “I believe he could at least teach me something new. But I don’t think I could ever… I don’t think I could do what he’d want me to. I don’t think that would really make me _stronger_.”

“Hm.”  He seems to relax a little at her response, nodding vaguely and looking away.

“He looks like he’s choking Kylo. It felt like a prison, like…” She thinks about it again, trying to piece the words together. Trying to remember the feeling. “He’s suffocating under Snoke. It’s almost like … like Snoke’s feeding off of his energy.”

“He probably is,” Luke replies softly.

“That’s why I need your help. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if we can break him out from under that energy or if he needs to be sent somewhere far away instead.”

“I agree that he’s probably putting the Resistance into danger being there. But I don’t think we’ll be able to break him away from anything if he doesn’t want to be. That’s what happened before- he wanted nothing more than to be there with Snoke, and nothing I could say or do stopped him. The damage was already done.” Luke looks up at Rey, his sad face tight and bitter, and shakes his head. “If he doesn’t want to be saved, he won’t be. I don’t know what the worth of trying is.”

“Even if he doesn’t want to be here, he still is, and willingly,” Rey replies, and she stops because she can’t believe those words just came out of her mouth. She’s actually defending Kylo Ren, of all people. To Luke Skywalker, no less. “Uh,” she stutters, frowning at herself. “I’m not… I don’t _want_ to do it. I don’t want to be the one who has to, I mean. I don’t think I should be. I could never see him again and be satisfied with that.”

“I understand.”

“But Le- General Organa thinks there’s something worth saving. She seems to think he deserves the chance, and I trust her. I think if he’s going to be here, we need to try. If we fail, if he’s …”

“Irredeemable?” Luke supplies.

“… Unwilling to cooperate, at least, then we know what we have to do.” The lightsaber attached to her belt suddenly feels so much heavier. She still doesn’t think she could kill him, as much as she’d wanted to when he’d cowered before her, as much as she hates him, but… maybe it really was the only option past a certain point. Rey swallows hard, looking up at her master again, and lets out a shaky breath. “Was it this hard?”

“With Vader?” Luke pauses, considers this. “It… was. It was. They never told me he was my father because then I- They were afraid that knowing meant I might not kill him, and they kept telling me the only way to save the galaxy was killing him. But he …” He sighs heavily. “Some part of him wanted to be saved. I could feel the light in him. If Leia’s right, if there’s something there in… him, I… mm.” He doesn’t look like he wants to say the words. He looks like he’s hurting, if Rey trusts her judgement. “…My advice would be to try and find it. If anyone can tell, it would be her, and I trust her senses.”

Rey nods. “Is there.. any way at all I could convince you to come here? This would be so much easier with you here.”

Luke stares at her for a long moment. “.. Maybe soon,” he replies uncertainly, looking away again with something like shame. Resignation creeps into his voice and he nods at the ground. “Maybe it’s about time. You’re going to need help keeping Snoke from finding the Resistance while we deal with …all of this.” There’s a long pause as he thinks on this, and finally he nods again, looking up at Rey. “Make sure you tell Leia what you saw. She needs to know. She might be able to help. Make sure you keep meditating, but don’t get too close to Snoke, if you see him again. If you give him even the tiniest amount of space, he’ll take everything he can.”

“Yes, Master Skywalker.”

“I’ll comm you soon, I promise. I need to… think about this.” His voice sounds like he already knows the answer. Rey desperately hopes he’ll choose what they both know is the right thing.

“Of course. I thought I might join you, soon, if that’s all right. I’d like to bring Finn with me.”

“You probably shouldn’t leave there for a little while, until we know Snoke’s not breathing down the Resistance’s neck,” Luke replies, sighing. “I.. I’ll comm you tomorrow, all right? I’ll let you know what I come up with.”

“Of course, Master Skywalker.”

“Take care of yourself, Rey, okay? Please be careful.” He looks her over sadly for a moment, letting out a soft sigh. “Please, just...” _Don’t fall into the same pit,_ he seems to imply, and Rey wishes they were closer so she could read him properly. “… Be careful.”

“I’ll do my best,” Rey replies, her eyes and voice just as sad as his, worried for her master for what was nowhere near the first time.

“I absolutely believe that.” A terse, tired little smile. “Good luck,” and the comm flickers, shutting off.

 

 

 

She catches Leia on her way to the hearings, in the great hallway of one of the stone buildings the Resistance was taking residence in. The Resistance wastes no time; before noon, both General Hux and Kylo Ren are pulled out of their cells to be sat before a small panel of interrogators, and General Organa is meant to be the head of both committees. Rey knew about this because she’d heard about it at breakfast; the rumor was out across the compound before either prisoner was even made aware of their fate.

As Rey gets closer, it becomes clear that something on Leia’s mind is weighing heavily on her. She doesn’t want to be here, but it is her responsibility, and damn Kylo Ren for not giving her a choice. The feelings are subtle, and snap back into Leia’s carefully kept walls when Rey jogs up.

“Rey,” Leia calls to her, flashing the scavenger a little smile. Rey smiles back.

“Hi,” Rey replies, glancing around. There’s no one immediately around them, so she leans in towards Leia, biting her lip. “Can I talk to you for just a second?”

“Is it important?” Leia asks, cocking her head slightly, clearly already aware it is.

“It is,” Rey says, nodding. “I think it is, anyways. I think it could have some bearing to whatever he’s going to tell you in there.”

“This rumor mill is unbelievable,” Leia grouses, but it’s a lighthearted jab, so Rey smiles. “All right. What is it.”

“First, I spoke to Master Skywalker this morning. I think I’ve convinced him to come to the base.”

“Rey, that’s incredible.” The spike of hope in her doesn’t go unnoticed by Rey, who smiles wider. “When is he coming? Did he say for sure?”

“Not yet, but after what I told him I don’t think he ….” She worries her hands together, sighing. “I don’t think he has a choice, honestly. Not … after I told him about Kylo Ren and that General coming here, anyways. And what I saw last night.”

“I see,” Leia murmurs patiently, apparently sensing Rey wanting to tell her.

“When I was meditating, I saw a force surrounding Kylo Ren’s energy,” Rey explains, lowering her voice to a hush even if they were still mostly alone. No one walking through the hallway was stopping or slowing long enough to hear their conversation- in fact, no one even seemed to spare them a single glance, like they were invisible -but she almost felt like if she spoke loud enough Snoke himself would manifest and speak to her again. “Something …dampening him. Almost like it’s pulling his energy out.”

“Snoke,” Leia replies immediately.

“That’s what Master Skywalker said,” Rey says, nodding again. “That was the first thing he said. So it really is true..” She doesn’t doubt Luke, but she is surprised that Snoke’s been a figure for so long in their lives and no one else on the base seems to know he exists. She’s never once heard of him before, not that that’s new- she hasn’t heard of a lot of things the others all seem to know. She’s still surprised no one had mentioned him before, if he was so terribly powerful and was known to rule over the Knights of Ren.

“Yes.” Leia looks conflicted, almost upset. She seems to hedge on whether or not to tell Rey; sighing, Leia shakes her head. “Snoke… knew, before B-“ She can’t do it yet. She doesn’t miss a beat. “-he was even born, that he was going to be powerful. That he was going to have equal opportunity to be on the Light or Dark sides of the Force. Snoke’s been twisting him away from us since birth.”

Somehow, this wasn’t the information that Rey was expecting, even after Luke’s brief introduction to Snoke’s special brand of evil. There was a big difference between _in his head for years_ and _twisting him since birth,_ as far as Rey was concerned. “I see,” she finally replies, pursing her lips. “Well. I think he’s still connected to Kylo Ren somehow. I don’t think Snoke knows where we are, not yet, but he seemed to be able to feel me, too, and he … spoke to me-“

“Snoke _spoke_ to you?”

Rey’s momentarily startled by the intensity in Leia’s voice, the sudden change of her face and demeanor. “Uh. Yes, just for a moment. He told me he could make me stronger and that I should come to him. It’s not the first time..” The look on Leia’s face as she looks Rey over, as if seeing the scavenger in a new light, makes Rey hastily add: “-but it’s not like he can just talk to me. I only heard him once before, on Starkiller Base, after the fight with Kylo.”

“Hm,” Leia responds. She looks thoughtful, sounds far away. Rey grimaces. Maybe she should have waited until after the hearing after all.

“I told Master Skywalker about this, and he thinks that it could be possible that Snoke’s feeding off of Kylo or something, and that he may not be able to see where Kylo is now but he’ll figure it out sooner or later. He thinks we can keep the information hidden if we’re going to help him…” She stops there, trying to gauge Leia’s reaction. “…Because I told him you thought he had a chance to … uhm, come back.”

“I think there’s light in him,” Leia says, “but I don’t know… I don’t know if he’ll come back to us. If what you said is true, he may not be able to see clearly. Snoke might be making it difficult for him to make decisions of his own accord…” Her voice trails off, and she looks down the hallway, but her eyes seem to see so much further away than just the end of the hall. She stares for a good long moment before sighing hard and looking back at Rey. “Thank you for telling me. I appreciate the information.”

“You’re welcome,” Rey chirps, bowing her head to Leia. “Is there… anything I can do, any way I can help..” _make this easier_ is the implied thought, and Leia seems to hear it, shaking her head.

“No, thank you, Rey, you’ve done enough. This is very helpful. Let me know immediately if you hear anything else from Luke,” Leia replies, face grim.

“All right. Yes, General,” Rey says, and bows her head again slightly.

 “Thank you. Now, I’m sorry, Rey, but I must be going,” and Leia smiles, a small and terribly sad thing, before hustling back down the hall towards the meeting.

 

 

 

He looks so much smaller than he really is in front of the committee, especially with his hands bound before him and his shoulders hunched forward. Leia stares at her son- no, Kylo Ren –no, _her son_ , unsure of what to do next. Kylo sullenly stares at the table in front of the five people on his interrogation panel, unwilling to look up and meet any of their eyes. She’d felt he should be the one to be debriefed first, because this way at least he could give them information and emotional input that would be useful against General Hux, but now she’s not so sure. The information Rey’s given her puts her in a worse spot than she was before. These people will likely want to have her sentence him to death, not realizing who he is to her. Worse yet, now she’s aware his very presence is putting everyone at risk, actively, without their knowledge.

Damn this entire ordeal. Damn Snoke, damn Kylo Ren, damn Luke Skywalker for still hedging on coming home. If only he were here. If only she could talk to him.

Maybe that was the answer.

The room is silent, the other interrogators waiting for her to make a move. She doesn’t have the time she needs, and right now there’s nothing she can do without more time. Leia lets out a long sigh, looking away. It’ll just have to wait.

“Let’s get started,” she finally says, and the council nods at her, all shuffling in their seats and preparing for their work to begin. The one on the end, today’s acting Secretary, begins the holorecorder, and each council member states their name and acting role in today’s hearing. Then, Leia turns to Kylo. “State your name, profession or title and reason for standing before this council today.”

He shifts slightly, not looking up. His voice is a mumble.

“Speak up, please.”

“I said, my name is Kylo Ren. I am Apprentice to Supreme Leader Snoke, and the Master of the Knights of Ren. I am also acting ambassador of the Knights to the First Order.” She wonders if Hux coached him on what to say as they killed time in the shuttle on their way to the base. He doesn’t seem convinced in his words, but then again he’s marching through each syllable with an unaffected deadpan, still staring at the table. It’s hard to get a read off of him that isn’t just depression and the wish to be anywhere else at all. “I am here to surrender to the Resistance.”

“Let the record show that Kylo Ren surrendered officially yesterday, but due to his arrival we were forced to evacuate our then-base of operations in order to maintain the safety of the Resistance,” says the man to Leia’s right, Gadon Guri, a negotiator she’d relied on time and time again, into the holorecord without regarding Kylo. “We have begun this hearing at our earliest opportunity.”

“Let the record also show,” says the woman to Leia’s left, the head of her Medical team, Doctor Azah Tavi, a Twilek with a sharp tongue, “that he chose to surrender by storming into our base and frightening most of our troops. Tell me,” she continues without pausing, now directly speaking to Kylo, “was there a reason you didn’t just send a message instead of storming in, to great risk to both yourself and our officers?”

“It was imperative to reach the General first,” Kylo murmurs, finally looking up from the table to fix Tavi with a sharp look. “You’ll note I arrived in a shuttle from the Finalizer, a First Order Star Destroyer. I couldn’t risk having my message be intercepted by the First Order.”

“I don’t understand- you’ve clearly defected, and with a General at your side. What could they possibly have gained from a quick message warning us of your arrival?”

“Your coordinates, for one,” Kylo replies sharply, his voice rising.

“Which we’ve been lead to believe were already in the Order’s possession, made obvious in your even being able to find us?” Tavi’s voice rises to match Kylo’s. “Not to mention, your shuttle can be traced, and the tracking device that had been reportedly kept in your belt.”

“I needed to speak to your General first, without interruptions.” He’s gritting his teeth, spitting his words out through them, clearly trying not to lose his temper. “Tell me, Doctor. Would you rather they have the proof your leader was at my coordinates? I did what I thought was necessary to keep my safe haven as safe as possible.”

“I have trouble believing that,” Guri interrupts. “And I don’t understand why you needed General Organa specifically in order to surrender yourself to the Resistance. You easily could have found any base, any Resistance officer the galaxy over, and given yourself to them without the theatrics. It would have accomplished the exact same thing. Why couldn’t you have spoken to anyone else?”

Finally, he looks up at her. Kylo Ren meets her eyes for the first time since yesterday morning, raising his eyebrow ever so slightly. There’s a silent _Are you going to tell them, or should I?_ that he sends her way, but she immediately closes her channels and cuts off his ability to speak to her with the Force. He looks down again, jaw tense, and lets out a slow sigh.

“I wanted to ensure the safety of both myself and General Hux,” Kylo finally answers, his voice low again. “It seemed… it made the most sense at the time. As you may recall I was bleeding heavily? My wounds likely impaired my judgement.”

“I recall. That doesn’t excuse your choices.” The doctor wrinkles her nose. “I’ll have you know, while your methods are frowned upon by this council and were entirely out of line, it hasn’t gone unnoticed that you managed not to harm the officers you threw out of your way,” Doctor Tavi says, her voice terse, “much to everyone’s surprise. This will be easier for you if you cooperate with us, Kylo Ren.”

“I understand,” he says without looking up.

Guri shifts, glancing at the doctor, who nods. “In order to ensure your surrender leads to the best possible outcome, you will be required to give us all the information you possibly can on the Knights of Ren, Supreme Leader Snoke and the First Order.” Kylo looks paler, but he nods. “There’s no way of knowing what information will be useful to us, so please be as thorough as you can. Do you understand?”

“I do.”

“Then let us begin,” Guri says, looking down at the datapad in front of him. “You’re the Master of these Knights of Ren, correct? What does that entail?”

“Simply that I am considered in charge if we run a mission together,” Kylo replies quietly. “That I am the closest to Supreme Leader Snoke. That I speak to him directly.”

Guri nods, taking notes of his own on the datapad. “I see. And you’re responsible for relaying these orders to them?”

“When necessary, yes.”

“Do you fill this role within the First Order, as well?”

“The General is usually present when he hands down orders that the First Order needs.”

“So the General- General Hux, correct?”

“Yes.”

“General Hux is the one who receives direct orders from your leader?”

“Yes.”

A quiet shifting from the council, shared glances and unsure energy loud in their silence. Kylo Ren continues staring. Leia looks down at her own datapad, watching the information update in real time, thanks to the tireless typing of the Secretary. She doesn’t know what to say, so she says nothing.

Guri continues asking questions, but they all blend together soon enough, especially with Kylo answering them promptly and with as little actual words as he can manage. Leia doesn’t really listen, just feeling the Force around her and watching the datapad update. He gives them information about the Knights, where he’s been before, the places Snoke trained them, the places Snoke has been known to frequent, the Order as much as he could. The questioning goes on for a good two hours, with the different members taking turns and Kylo’s voice becoming hoarse as he drones on.

Eventually, Leia becomes aware the questions are slowing down, and she glances up. Kylo is still hunched over in front of them, still looking pale and small. He’s visibly exhausted, probably a mixture of having to talk and stand for so long, as well as the wounds he’s still nursing. Maybe he’s not sleeping thanks to Snoke. She grimaces, glancing at Guri.

“General?” he repeats, and she realizes she’d completely missed a question.

“I’m sorry, Gadon. Will you repeat that?”

“I asked if you had anything you’d like to say to him before we send him back to his cell.”

“I do.” The others aren’t shocked, but she is. She’d been just fine up until now, listening passively and not speaking to her son, and the words had come out of her mouth before she’d truly considered them. She looks up at Kylo Ren, who stands stock-still. Apparently he was also completely fine with not having to speak to her. He swallows slowly, raising his eyes until he’s meeting hers, and they stare at each other for a few seconds of silence. “This General you brought with you. General Hux.”

“Yes,” he replies softly. The other committee members shift, unsure of where Leia’s going with this; they’d already given Kylo the third degree about the General, they’d thought.

“Why did you bring him with you?”

“I didn’t bring him. He brought me.”

“So this was his idea.”

“You knew that.”

“I did, but the record does not.”

Kylo stares at her for a long moment, rage flickering in his eyes, as if he can’t decide if he should be furious or not. “Yes, coming to the base was his idea.”

“That directly goes against what you told me earlier,” Tavi interrupts angrily, but the look Kylo shoots her silences her.

“No, it doesn’t,” he snaps, finally finding the energy to emote. “You asked why I stormed the base instead of comming ahead. You didn’t ask whose idea it was to defect from the First Order.”

“By all accounts, the General’s position is what he’s been working on for the majority of his lifetime. It seems his ambitions have lead him to his dream post, and you insist he’s the one who chose to leave it,” Guri cuts in, leaning forward. Kylo looks between them. Leia can hear him sizing them up, trying to decide which foot to place forward now in the verbal battle. “You might imagine how ludicrous that sounds to us.”

“I can assure you, he didn’t _want_ to leave. If you asked him now, he’d probably agree he’d have stayed,” Kylo replies. “He was- we were forced to leave.”

“Forced?” Leia asks softly.

“Forced. We-“ but that thought process is swallowed into a void Kylo’s using to hide his thoughts, and he pauses, squinting at Leia. “The blaster wound in my shoulder was from forces stationed on the Finalizer.”

“You were run out?” she asks.

“No. I was offered a choice by the Supreme Leader and Hux made it for me.”

“What was the choice?”

“… I don’t see how that’s releva-“

“Every piece of information could be relevant in some way. We have no idea of telling unless we have all the information before us to investigate fully,” Leia interrupts him without hesitating. She stands and all the energy in the room seems to hover around her, making her movements so much heavier than they should be. She almost seems to tower over him, even if she isn’t near him and he’s taller. “And you’ve already been told that once. What was the choice that lead to your escape.”

Kylo glares at her. He looks like he can’t believe her, like he couldn’t ever answer this, like he’s considering running or refusing or fighting his way out of here. She can feel his energy swell, rage and fear and confusion all a potent mix, and then he carefully lets out a slow breath and it begins to calm. “Supreme Leader Snoke … ah.” There are echoes in his thoughts; it’s the memory, but when Leia tries to pick at it, he pulls it away again. “I was asked to kill the General.”

“But he decided for you, you said. What do you mean?”

“We were both at the meeting,” Kylo replies slowly, trying to decide how best to frame this. His hesitation makes his voice flat, almost robotic. “The Supreme Leader called us both. On Starkiller there was a chamber, but on the Finalizer it was only a meeting room. He told me he sensed a disturbance in the Force, and that he believed his master plans were being hindered. He asked me if I believed the First Order capable, I said no. I don’t care for the First Order.” _It was more a jab at Hux and not an honest answer,_ Leia senses, a feeling without words. _Part of the game Snoke seemed to want us to play. Fighting for his approval. Dragging the other down._ “He asked me why that was, and when pressed I changed my answer.”

“To?”

“To _yes, in some situations, they are effective._ The Supreme Leader supposed this was true, and then went on to muse that perhaps it was the Order’s flawed leadership that held them back from being effective in all situations. I answered that I could not say. He asked what I would do if I sensed mutiny in the leadership, I assured him I would …” He looks away from Leia, staring back at the ground. Shame blossoms up. “… kill the offenders, without hesitation. He asked me if I could feel whether or not anyone was currently mutinous, I said no, I couldn’t feel anything. He told me I was lying.”

“Were you?” Leia presses, sensing something deeper. She leans further over the table, watching him. His thoughts are dark and muddled, not quite sure which way to turn, and she’s beginning to put the pieces together. “Did you know of an officer interested in mutiny?”

Kylo is silent for a long, still moment. His plan to speak slowly and carefully seems to be working, but it’s not something he’s used to, and he’s still not sure how to pull it off. “Yes,” he finally responds, voice lower than before.

“Was it General Hux?”

“Yes.”

“And you knew of his plan?”

“Yes.”

Hux’s voice floats back to her from the day before. _In order for this to work…_ “What was his plan?”

“Simply to overthrow the Supreme Leader.” Not quite a lie, but she can sense it isn’t quite the truth, either.

“To take his place? Or to control the First Order without him?”

“I couldn’t say,” Kylo replies, and she hears the true lie in his voice.

“No? Are you sure?”

“No.” The feeling of _lie_ gets louder and she raises an eyebrow. “I am sure.”

“So- Snoke finds out Hux is plotting to overthrow him. Does Snoke know about your relationship?”

Kylo goes still, a fearful calm without movement. The interrogation members all shift, looking up at Leia, unsure where she got this information. They’re all waiting for him to respond. “I don’t know,” he finally replies, obviously embarrassed.

“Is it likely.”

“It… yes, I guess, it could be likely.”

“So it stands to reason that Snoke, knowing Hux was mutinous and you two were involved, that Hux had at least told you about his plan.”

“Yes. At least-“ he adds, fumbling, “he seemed adamant I’d be able to sense it off of Hux.”

“And so he orders you to kill the General, who he likely knows is your current lover.”

“Yes. Right then.”

“Would you say this test was to prove your loyalty?” she asks lightly. Kylo hisses breath out through his teeth. She knows whatever game he’s playing, and he’s realized she can see through him better than he’d thought.

“I… have no doubt,” he finally responds.

“What happens then?”

“I….” Kylo swallows. It’s harder for him to pull his memories back and away, harder for him to hide his feelings with so many of them beginning to rise. Leia can see it for just a moment- the inside of Kylo’s mask as he looks away from a gigantic, hideous holo, as he looks at Hux, who stares at him without fear. “I hesitated.” _I think it’s a bit stuffy in here, Ren,_ sniffs Hux in Kylo’s mind. _I think it’s time to leave. Wouldn’t you agree?_

“Focus.” Leia grimaces. His thoughts are getting so much louder, even as he pulls back the personal details. So much fear. He’s so unsure of himself and everything he does. “You hesitated.”

“I hesitated and Hux decided to leave the meeting. The Supreme Leader told me he was disappointed in me. That I shouldn’t worry about the consequences of this failure as he was certain Hux would die soon, that there were troops waiting.... I decided in that moment to protect the General and left the meeting.” Kylo’s voice begins to rise from a near-whisper back to his normal volume, apparently emboldened by the memory of his conviction- or, perhaps, just finally past a sensitive subject. This was deeper than what he was telling them, Leia could feel it. Not to mention his earlier blatant lie. “We fought through the Finalizer and stole a shuttle. He knew the coordinates of this base and did most of the piloting.”

“I see. In short: the Supreme Leader asked you to kill the General, and when Hux left and you realized he was in danger you moved to protect him, which led you to stealing a shuttle and then coming to the Resistance.”

“Yes.”

She doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t add anything further. There’s an awkward silence as Leia and Kylo Ren stare- her at him, him at the ground. The interrogation members are all uncomfortably shifting. This revelation gives her more insight. Maybe it was love, some kind of twisted connection that the two of them shared, that brought them crawling to the Resistance for help. Maybe there was hope for her son- and maybe the General –after all. She wasn’t sure how to deal with this information. Kylo’s emotions and memories are making her head pound, but she stares at him without backing down, almost willing him to look at her again.

Finally, Guri clears his throat and Leia suddenly finds herself incapable of looking at Kylo, focusing all her attention on the datapad under her instead. She leans back, gathering it and pushing in her chair.

“I have no further questions,” she says quietly. “Gadon, I trust you will send me a copy of the holo when you have finished here?”

“Of course, General,” Guri replies, his tone confused.

“Excellent. I expect to see you all at the next debriefing in an hour. Let’s break for lunch.”

“Ah- Yes, General,” Guri says, turning back to Kylo. “We will need to mull over this information and do as much fact-checking as we can,” Guri starts as Leia begins to stride across the room. “You will be required to sit before another committee as we decide-“

The door shuts behind her, cutting Guri’s voice off, and Leia lets out a low sigh. This is going to be harder than she realized, but soon Luke might be back- hopefully. Hopefully Rey is right. Hopefully Luke is coming home soon. He might not make it easier to navigate, but easier to bear is better than nothing.


	5. Chapter 5

The small interrogation room that General Hux has been left in is quiet, cramped, but not unpleasant. He sits patiently waiting for his debriefing, toying with his fingers now and then, shifting in his seat. Originally he’d meant to sit stock-still until they came for him, sure that someone stood watching across the two-way window, but after about thirty straight minutes of silence and boredom he’d loosened somewhat. It was impossible to tell the passage of time in this room. He felt like he was beginning to lose his mind.

 _Hux,_ came Ren’s voice into his mind, and he forced himself not to react, in case whoever he assumed was still standing on the other side was still watching. It had startled him, confused him, concerned him- but from what he could see in the window, he still just looked bored.

_Ren?_

_Yes. I’m sorry. It didn’t… it wasn’t good. I think…_ Even in Hux’s mind, he’s stuttering, pausing, lost. He sounds exhausted. _I think she’s coming for you_.

When the door opens suddenly and a rushed looking General Organa bursts into the room, Hux keeps a straight face and a straighter back, raising an eyebrow at her. She stands across the table for a long moment, staring into his face with something like determination. He might not have been a Force user, but it was clear enough to him that she thought she had figured something out, or that she was on the way to it.

“General,” Organa says first, and takes a seat without an offer.

Hux flashes her a terse smile. “General,” he replies, nodding his head slightly.

“Obviously this is not your hearing,” she begins, leaning forward and folding her hands on the table in front of her. “And I have a very limited amount of time in which to speak with you before your hearing is supposed to begin. I need you to be honest with me, General.”

This, coming from anyone else, would sound like a desperate plea. From Leia Organa, it’s almost a threat. The unspoken _don’t make this harder than it has to be_ chills him somewhat, in that way only a Force user can inspire. Hux’s tight little smile returns. “I will cooperate to the fullest extent I can, General.”

She flashes him a look that just drips _we’ll see about that._ “In his debriefing, Kylo Ren mentioned that your life was threatened by the leader of the First Order, Supreme Leader Snoke.” She’s being overly formal. Hux wonders if this impresses him, or if it’s what he would expect. It’s certainly what he would have done, if he had been in the business of speaking to prisoners personally, and in such unofficial capacities. “He mentioned that Snoke believed there was an officer within his ranks that was mutinous, and that the officer in question was you. He mentioned he was told the plan but refused to elaborate beyond wanting to see Snoke overthrown. Is this true.”

The air seems to get a little thicker, a little heavier. Hux can feel it settle on his shoulders. It almost feels like the energy he would classify as the Force when he’d felt Ren use it, but now the energy is a person standing behind him, waiting for him to give the wrong answer, with its hands rested near his neck. He swallows, unhappy that even this small amount of fear is made obvious to his opponent. “Yes. I was planning to overthrow the Supreme Leader.”

“Is that the extent of the plan?”

“No.”

“You were planning to take his place.”

Hux stares at Organa for a long moment. Her face is completely calm, her demeanor even distinguished, but there’s a wildness in her eyes that he recognizes. They really are related. “I was,” Hux replies finally, nodding his head once.

“You were planning on becoming the new Supreme Leader?”

The grip on his shoulders seems to tighten. He licks his lips, tries to shrug off the creeping dread. “I was planning on becoming the _Emperor,_ ” he replies quietly, refusing to break the stare between them, even if he suddenly feels… chastised, he thinks? The room feels _disappointed_ in him, somehow. He wants to look away but refuses to take the proverbial step back first. “I was to have Kylo Ren help me depose or destroy Snoke, and take his place to lead the First Order to controlling the galaxy.”

Organa’s wild eyes show a little rage, and more than a little disappointment, and the grip on his shoulder tightens. “I see,” she says slowly, leaning back in her chair. She thinks on this, clearly putting her thoughts in order. Hux waits patiently, acutely aware of how completely he is currently at her mercy. It’s not a sensation he enjoys. She doesn’t bother looking at him when she speaks again, voice tight. “So you were planning on taking the throne, and taking control. Were you going to take the rest of the galaxy by force?”

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead, honestly, but I was hoping it could be avoided,” Hux replies smoothly. “There are more than a few planets already under First Order control. Planets your precious Republic had conveniently chosen to forget, or that didn’t matter in the grand scale of your government. They are loyal, as we have provided them some modicum of order and peace.” Organa looks up at him, raising an eyebrow as she listens. “They bear their status proudly, and they send us soldiers and supplies as we ask for them. Not every planet needs taken by force, and as Emperor I would have preferred to avoid fights if necessary.”

“You sound like you’ve been thinking about this for a long time,” Organa says, voice quiet, pensive.

“I have.” The pride that comes with these thoughts begins to build in his chest, and he swells slightly, swallowing it down. Best not to preen for the enemy, after all. “I have long believed I deserved a seat at the head of the galaxy.”

“Something your father insisted on?”

Hux scoffed. “My father wanted me to be the best I could within the system already in place. He was willing to stay at his position because it afforded him enough power to satisfy his small goals. I’ve always believed I deserve bigger, deserve better, than what he had in mind for me.” There’s a hint of bitterness beginning to creep into his voice, and he pulls it back, taking a moment to breathe, a moment to return to his gentle neutrality. “..When the Empire fell, the remaining dregs were disorganized. Everyone ran, scattered to every piece of the galaxy they knew they could hide, desperately outside of Republic space. The agreements demanded we keep to ourselves, so we did; everyone’s family hid, because they had to.”

Organa simply nods, a silent gesture to continue. She crosses her arms over her chest in some attempt to do something with her hands, listening intently.

“Snoke was the glue. He pulled the pieces back together and began to manufacture hope that perhaps these peoples’ lives had not gone to waste. He stood in the ashes of the Empire and promised better, stronger. My father is not the only one who believed him, who thought Snoke could be the emperor to replace Palpatine.”

“You’re saying your father had no interest in putting you on the throne?”

“I’m saying my father didn’t think that far ahead. He was content to have me in the Order’s ranks at all; if he had witnessed me rising to General, he might have even felt pride. But he didn’t think to question Snoke’s authority, as most of the Order tends not to. Snoke is Force-sensitive, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, and he has his personal Knights. He’s powerful, and besides that, he’s shrouded in mystery on purpose. I don’t think even Kylo Ren knows where his true sanctums are, just any citadels he may have trained at, and who knows if they’re still there or still utilized. He sends us messages via holos, and none of the First Order has met him truly in person, not even me.”

“I see. And you thought to dethrone him knowing these stakes?”

“I … made the plans, yes. I had thought about it for some time, but I hadn’t yet begun putting everything into place. I told Ren the plan, and the next day Snoke decided to have me killed.” Hux leans forward, face and demeanor clearly conspiratorial, and Organa does the same, as if she wouldn’t be able to hear him in this small room otherwise. She folds her hands on the table again, watching him closely. The feeling of pressure on his shoulders has not disappeared, but followed him as he moved, as if it truly were a person with their hands on him. “Ren may not know this, but Snoke is constantly connected to him. I’m of the belief that Ren unknowingly feeds Snoke information simply by existing. His thoughts are not his own, and his power is being dampened.”

“Is that so?” Organa asks. Her tone is almost one of a person who has heard this before and is just entertaining him, but he doesn’t care. The more he can seem as if he’s truly interested in this subject, the better- luckily for him, he doesn’t have to pretend, much.

“I cannot run the First Order with what was meant to be my right hand keeping constant tabs on me. Even now, only as a General, my personal and professional lives have blended irreparably and I am certain Snoke is the reason. I’m also certain he has been collecting this information the entire time. I would not be surprised if Ren’s thoughts to an extent were planted, to ensure he moves as Snoke deems necessary. Our Leader is the First Order’s first and worst enemy.” Hux pauses, swallowing hard. He hadn’t meant to sound so… passionate, but Organa seems to be truly listening to his concerns. What a curious turn of events, this all has been. He’d imagined this being so much more cut and dry. “He is directly threatening my plans, yes, but he is also directly threatening the safety of the galaxy with his fanaticism. If he is left to his own devices much longer, there may not be a galaxy left to rule.”

Organa sits back again, her folded hands falling to her lap. Hux sits back as well, watching her face in an attempt to gauge what he had said. The tension in the room seems to have lessened somewhat; the pressure on his shoulders has lessened, and Organa seems less terse than she did when she entered. She considers his words for a long time, staring at the table.

“If I understand you correctly,” she finally begins, slowly, choosing her words as carefully as possible. “You believe Supreme Leader Snoke is a danger to the First Order and the galaxy. You believe that in order to break his hold, you needed to bring Kylo Ren here. You believe that, once he no longer controls Kylo Ren his control on the Order can be broken, you can depose him. You also believe you should take the throne of the Order for yourself.”

Hux nods, back stiff and straight. He realizes he’s holding his breath, and lets it out slowly, trying to ease his mind. “Yes,” he adds, in case she hadn’t seen him nod.

“I see.” Finally she looks up at him. “You have to know that we won’t be willing to allow that.”

“The Republic is gone,” Hux replies, acutely aware he’s the reason for that, and the fact she can probably feel the small swell of pride he wasn’t able to tamp down. “That fact is irrefutable. As you have proven before, it can be rebuilt. But the Republic is not perfect, and cannot have a hold on the entire galaxy reliably or even comfortably, at its peak. There are always going to be planets, entire systems that fall through the cracks. I am willing to argue that the First Order can coexist with the Senate, for the good of the galaxy.”

“You’ve destroyed five planets,” Organa responds, and her neutral tone finally shows some anger. “You’ve planned to destroy more.”

“The Hosnian system was the only one I personally was willing to destroy, and I will admit it was destroyed at my suggestion. The Ileenium system was targeted at the order of Supreme Leader Snoke. I felt it unnecessary- a destruction of resources and people that could be used for our cause.”

“The point still stands that you, as General, were going to destroy a second system of planets. A _second_. Countless lives have been destroyed in an act of senseless violence this galaxy has never seen before. You have billions to answer for, and you come here to hold the wellbeing of my son- who, I might add, needs to answer for his crimes as well, regardless of what you’ve promised him –over my head in an attempt to force me to help you conquer the galaxy.” Organa stares at him, eyes hard and still holding that familiar wildness. “Does that seem about right.”

Hux stares back, now acutely aware he’s somehow lost control of this situation. The pressure on his shoulders tightens. “Yes,” he finally says. “But this is a nuanced conversation that I believe we can have and end with both parties satisfied. We are on the cusp of the galaxy redefining itself again, and this time we may be able to create something that sticks. The Republic demanded things of the Empire it never bothered to stay informed on, in an attempt to annex the Empire from the rest of the galaxy without further bloodshed. Their multitudes of oversights are what lead here today. We can change this. We can pick up those pieces and create a coexisting system for the betterment of all.”

Organa says nothing, and Hux is left to stare at her. Frustration blooms in the center of his chest and spreads like a fire; she doesn’t seem to be hearing him, or she doesn’t seem to care. She’s very clearly controlling the rage inside herself, though it’s obvious no matter how well she’s doing. The pressure on his shoulders is beginning to feel like a vice.

“The Republic lied to the planets it abandoned. It shirked its duties and it allowed the Resistance to flourish and operate against its own rules. It demanded things of the Empire that it never thought to enforce and had the audacity to be shocked when it was punished for it. It created this atmosphere in all of its failures.”

“Enough,” Organa says quietly. Her voice is almost too quiet to hear, but it rings through him as if she’d yelled. “Enough. I need time to think about what you’ve told me.”

“I understand,” Hux replies, picking up the same smooth in-control tone he’d had at the beginning.

“Your hearing will be postponed until I have had enough time to decide where to go from here. You will be returned to your cell shortly,” Organa continues, as if he’d never spoken, and stands from her chair slowly. “You and I will need to discuss this further.”

“I am always willing to negotiate,” Hux says, and has the feeling she doesn’t hear him.

She leaves without another word, but the sharp pressure of hands digging into his shoulders doesn’t leave until the guards return to take him to his cell.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry this has taken so long! I'm currently doing 2 exchanges and the Kylux Big Bang Challenge, so I'm a little swamped with other projects. more soon though!
> 
> you can find me @ dadcastellanos on tumblr!


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